Bogle Inquest: Shellfish Poison Theory

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30153, 10 June 1963, Page 11

Bogle Inquest: Shellfish Poison Theory

(N.Z. Press Assn.— Copyright) BRISBANE, June 9. Venom from a Queensland tropical sea shellfish is being investigated as a possible cause of the deaths of Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs Margaret Chandler, the “Sunday Mail” reported today. Two senior Sydney Detective® left Brisbane for Sydney yesterday "convinced

after three days’ inquiries here that they were on the strongest lead yet into the mystery,” the newspaper said. They were believed to have taken with them samples from animals killed by an “unnamed deadly poison of family conidae shells,” for analysis by the New South Wales Government medical officer, Dr. John Laing. The new moves followed a flight to Brisbane by Dr. Laing and police to seek the help of Australia’s top authority on “cone shell” poi. son. Dr. Robert Endean, a lecturer in the Queensland University zoology department. Dr. Endean has conducted research into the poisonous sea shells for the last two years.

He Is the only scientist in Australia engaged in thia type of research. At Dr. Endean’s university laboratory, cone shell poison has been diluted to less than one-thousand th strength and injected Into mice. They have died In minutes. Research has not isolated the active lethal ingredient of the fluid venom ejected by the cone shell Scientists do not fully understand its chemistry. Whether the poison would disappear from human remains Is not known because in all experiment* the venom has been injected into animals and fish. Police have learned that symptom* of the recorded deaths from cone shell poisoning of humans resembles greatly the symptom* of Dr.

Bogle and Mrs Chandler, the "Sunday Mail” said. Only six cases of occidental cone shell poisoning are knowfi, according to the newspaper. One of them, the only one In Australia, was a a yearold man who was “stung” when he picked up a cone shell at Hayman Island, in the Barrier' Reef, in 193$ Record* show that death symptoms were an immediate slight numbness, followed shortly after by nausea, growing paralysis, lost of sight, and finally a coma followed by death. The Barrier Reef victim died in an hour and 30 minutes. Police aay this follow* closely the known symptoms of Dr. Bogle and Mn Chand, ler.